As I joined Teach For America, I came to the realization that gymnastics had impacted my character more than my time as a student in my K-12 classrooms. Time management, discipline, perseverance, resilience, hard work...all of these skills came from a sport still dear to my heart.
I've also come to the realization that sports are a luxury - a luxury most kids at a Title 1 schools don't have the opportunity in which to partake. I often wonder how their lives would be transformed if they had a "gymnastics."
This year, a few teachers decided to bring soccer, cheerleading & football to our elementary school. These sports, along with the running club, have impacted school spirit tremendously, & it's been incredible to see the little transformations here & there within the school community.
As the culminating event for running club, I ran The Cowtown 5k with about 30+ students & parents - it was AWESOME. We ran united throughout the heart of Fort Worth, surrounded by the cowtown community - police officers, organizations, businesses, family & friends.
Five months of running club isn't quite comparable to my 10 years flipping across the floor, flying through the air, swinging around bars, balancing on a 4-inch beam...
BUT
I truly hope one of our runners got a glimpse of what I experienced with my gymnastics.
I watched that video several weeks ago and nearly cried! It perfectly and so artistically sums up every emotion I have felt and feel about the sport. But for me, I have not been able to let that little girl who fell in love with the sport stay in the gym and just be a memory; she is still a part of me and she is what drives me to still athletically compete. And "home" is still in a gym, just a different kind of gym. Now, I do CrossFit/weightlifting. Instead of the floor being hard, it is now the weights are heavy, and my hands are still calloused and ripped. Whatever your passion is currently, that drive to "seek the owl" will forever be a part of us because of how gymnastics molded us. I full heartedly know that I would not be who I am today, or where I am today, if it had not been for gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes! I couldn't have said it better. I'm so glad you have found CrossFit :)
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